Hilliard leads No. 6 Villanova past DePaul 87-62
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Darrun Hilliard scored 22 points, JayVaughn Pinkston had 14 points and 11 rebounds and No. 6 Villanova beat DePaul 87-62 on Wednesday night for its sixth consecutive win.
The Wildcats made a season-high 15 3-pointers and had five players score in double figures in an efficient tuneup for Sunday's Big East showdown with Creighton. James Bell had 16 points and Ryan Arcidiacono finished with 14, including four 3s.
Villanova (22-2, 10-1) opened a three-game trip with its eighth consecutive victory against DePaul. The Wildcats, who lost 96-68 to Creighton on Jan. 20, lead the Big East by one game against the idle Bluejays.
Ennis' 35-footer keeps No. 1 Syracuse unbeaten
PITTSBURGH -- Tyler Ennis made a 35-footer at the buzzer to help No. 1 Syracuse remain unbeaten with a 58-56 win against No. 25 Pitt on Wednesday night.
Syracuse (24-0, 11-0 ACC) remained one of two undefeated teams in Division I along with Wichita State.
Trailing by one with 4.4 seconds left, Ennis caught the inbounds pass and dribble up the court before hitting the shot over two defenders.
Talib Zanna, who led Pitt (20-5, 8-4) with 16 points and 14 rebounds, had given Pitt a 56-55 lead with 4.4 seconds remaining after he hit two free throws.
It was Pitt's first loss at home to a top-five team in the 12-year history of the Petersen Events Center, their on-campus arena. The Panthers (20-5, 8-4) had been 9-0 against top-five teams and 13-1 against teams ranked in the top 10.
Kentucky pulls away from Auburn in 64-56 win
AUBURN, Ala. -- Andrew Harrison scored 16 points to help No. 14 Kentucky overcome shooting struggles and hold on for a 64-56 victory against Auburn on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats (19-5, 9-2 Southeastern Conference) won their fourth consecutive game despite making just 17 of 55 shots (30.8 percent).
They made 9 of 12 free throws in the final 2 minutes to put away the Tigers (11-11, 3-8) despite scoring 16 points below their season average.
Memphis uses second half rally to beat Central Florida 76-70
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Joe Jackson scored 18 points and Shaq Goodwin added 14 as No. 20 Memphis used a late second half rally to defeat Central Florida 76-70 on Wednesday night.
The Tigers (19-5, 8-3 American Athletic Conference) crafted a 15-2 run in the latter stages of the second half to break open a tight game.
Chris Crawford and Michael Dixon finished with 10 points each for Memphis.
Tristan Spurlock led the Knights (9-13, 1-10) with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Isaiah Sykes scored 14 points. Kasey Wilson scored 10 as Central Florida lost its ninth consecutive.
Defense leads No. 24 Connecticut in 83-40 rout of South Florida
HARTFORD, Conn. -- DeAndre Daniels scored 12 points to lead a balanced Connecticut offense in an 83-40 rout of South Florida on Wednesday night.
Freshman Kentan Facey added 10 points for the 24th-ranked Huskies (19-5, 7-4 American Athletic Conference), who held the Bulls to just 12 baskets and 24 percent shooting.
Musa Abdul-Aleem had eight points for South Florida (12-13, 3-9) which has lost three of its last four games.
